who only by moving can balance

only by balancing move

When I think New Year's Resolutions, I tend to think open-ended habit-forming rather than specific short-term goals, and... I am skittish of those.

January is always hardest. I am anxious about making regular commitments of energy at the best of times - I have learned, very painfully, that that way lies failure and self-recrimination and exhaustion. I haven't yet clawed my way back up to "brushing my hair most days", after the winter of my discontent; let alone physiotherapy; and I am reluctant to add more tasks to the list when basic self-care still founders. (For those of you as don't know: my hair is waist-length. Brushing it every day is much less unpleasant than brushing it once a week, and takes all of five minutes if it is done daily.)

If this works for you, though, then more power to your left elbow, say I.

"This is the job in front of you: here's the next step to take", on the other hand, I feel rather less daunted by. So I don't call them NYR, but: my goals for 2014 are "perform my poetry twice", "submit two poems for consideration", and "don't bomb out of the degree".

(And, of course, to dream; to read good books; to kiss someone who thinks I'm wonderful, who I think is wonderful; and to make some small beauty of my very own.)